Contemplation: Cooking and Eating

Contemplation:  Cooking and Eating

Swami Prabhupada – in an ISKCON kitchen

Cooking and Eating

Cook and eat with powerful vibrations. By placing great importance on cooking and eating with loving and peaceful vibrations, you will nourish both mind and body.

Beauty is Life

When we are connected with the true spirit and beauty of life we can be
tireless. It means that we allow nothing to take away the color and the
beauty of life. It comes from an appreciation of the variety that life
brings. Even in a difficult situation we need to remind ourselves that
we can only enjoy the beauty of life if we are able to appreciate
equally all that life brings. As much as we enjoy success, we also need
to enjoy learning from our failures.

Rising Above Limits

From the moment the soul has occupied the physical body, it has been living a life completely surrounded and absolutely controlled by limits. The domination of these limits has been increasing as it has taken body after body. Not just physical limits such as of gender or power, money or material possessions, but of time - the time I spend with my children, the time it takes me to finish a particular task, the time my friendship lasts, the time it takes me to drive to the office, etc.

The beauty of meditation is that it detaches me from the consciousness of the body and as a result I rise above these physical limits and limits of time. I experience the pure and very importantly, free and independent consciousness of the soul. I step out of the boundaries of both space and time. I begin to feel my own eternity, in which I simply am, without a beginning or an end. I existed before the formation of the body and I shall exist after it has returned to dust.

This awareness of my eternal (with no beginning or end) identity is powerful, because it removes the fear of death. With that goes away a lot of the ego-driven, pressure filled behavior, the desperate need to make a mark through my profession or material objects which I own or in my relationships. This is the behavior in which I indulge when there isn't the realization of my eternal identity.

I, the soul, become aware of a continuity to my existence. Very importantly, I am also able to have the feeling of a place that is my eternal home, a place of rest, of peace, of complete stillness and silence. It is my place from where I began my journey. I exist in that home, and I come from that home to play my role on Earth, and I return there when my role is completed. This realization makes me internally full, fearless and content.

Soul Sustenance

Fulfilling Desires By Changing Your Belief System (Part 1) 

One most important characteristic that differentiates the Supreme Soul from human souls is that the Supreme Soul is the only entity that exists in this World Drama that is completely desire-less and remains that way eternally. If we were to make a list of desires that human beings have, we would name a lot many and various different types of desires. 

Whatever karma or action any soul performs at different points in the World Drama, whether positive or even negative, pure or even impure, they are all performed to fulfill these different types of desires. But when seen from a spiritual perspective, whatever the external form of the desire may be, the internal desire is always very simple – to go back to its eternal (or inert) state of peace or original state of peace, love, joy and power. 

The eternal or inert state of each soul is the state in which it exists before it begins its journey of birth and rebirth, when it resides in the soul world and the original state of each soul is the state in which it exists when it has just begun its journey of birth and rebirth i.e. at the beginning of the birth-rebirth cycle. Even negative karmas based on the personality traits of anger, greed, ego, lust, etc. may externally seem to be filled with violence or impurity, but internally, each time any soul performs such karmas, all it desires is a return to its eternal and original state (we shall explain this in tomorrow’s message). But it does not realize how these karmas take the soul away and not close to these states. 

This is where the role of the Supreme Soul comes in. The Supreme Soul is completely desire-less and possesses the capability, knowledge and power to fulfill these desires of the soul. 

Being the Supreme Teacher, He guides and teaches us what are the right karmas or actions that can help us fulfill our desires and take us closer to our eternal and original state and which actions, take us away from it. Also He is the only one who can teach us how to connect with Him so that these desires are fulfilled, because he is the Ocean of all the qualities that exist inside us in our eternal and original state and connecting with Him fills us with these qualities. The connection and the right actions, both, are vital for our progress.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

Message for the day

The one who is clean and clear inside is the one who becomes a mirror for others. 

Expression: When there is the ability to realize and bring about a change, there is also the ability to make oneself clear and clean inside. Such a person naturally becomes a clean mirror for others to see their own perfection. He becomes an inspiration for those around for bringing about the best from within. 

Experience: Each and every moment of my life, when I am able to work to bring about a change in myself constantly, I am able to remain in touch with my inner qualities. I have the joy of experiencing my inner perfection, which naturally flows and touches the lives of those around. 

Contemplation: Peacemaker

Contemplation: Peacemaker

 

Peacemaker

The first step on my path to becoming a peacemaker is to be at peace with myself. It is only then that I can make peace in the rest of my world.

Creativity

Silence brings creativity. Every great invention of science or art has
always been in silence. Silence just doesn't mean that we don't talk
or there is no noise. Silence is a beautiful quality of the mind where
we are able to experience the peace that is within. This automatically
brings out the best from within us. It is very important to spend a few
moments each day in solitude. During this time we need to practice
stabilizing ourselves in a single thought of peace. Let the experience
of peace from us flow to others too. During interactions too, let us
redirect out mind to a state of peace. Consistent practice like this
will help us become more and more creative.

Varied Concepts About The Supreme Being or God - cont.

There is an endless variety of human theories and concepts which appear to create confusion and even hatred among people when they are opposed to each other, but ultimately I must ask myself how far "I", the individual, have the experience of His powers and qualities.

The basis of forming a relationship with anyone is knowledge of who they are, what they look like, where they are from, and what they do. Similarly if I am to have the awareness of myself as a soul, and emerging from that, a close relationship with God, the Supreme Soul, then I must know:

* Who He is?
* What His form is or what does He look like?
* Where He is or where does He reside (stay)?
* What His personality traits or sanskars are?
* What His acts or karmas are?
* What is my relationship with Him?

God is living and real, not a matter of scientific research. It is necessary for me to re-establish a living relationship with Him, on the basis of complete knowledge of Him. My connection should not be based on the fears and superstitions of the past.

Soul Sustenance

Enhancing (Strengthening) Qualities with The Help Of Meditation (Part 2) 

Think and visualize alongside the following words in your mind so that you begin to feel and experience what is being described. Soft music may be played in the background. 

I remove my awareness from my physical body and my surroundings in which I sit and turn my attention inwards... I become aware of many thoughts going through my mind... I look at my thoughts from a detached observer point of view. I watch each thought come and then move on like light clouds in the sky... As I am a witness to my thoughts, their speed of coming and then moving on begins to slow down; my thoughts reduce in number... Gradually, I focus my attention on the idea of peace... I experience an energy wave of peace gently washing over me, removing all anxiety and stress from my mind... There is just peace... my thoughts fade away… In this moment, it is as if ... I ... am ... peace

My mind is now calm and clear - peace becomes a feeling… I experience deep contentment within... I relish the taste of this inner state… I realize, this is my natural state; this is what I like... Having returned to my natural state of peace… I sit for a while, enjoying these feelings of calmness and serenity... I feel that in a short while, I have collected the treasure of peace…

Now I bring in front of the eye of my mind a situation that I very commonly face in my office or at home… I visualize myself maintaining my state of inner peace using the treasure I have just collected and how it is affecting my thoughts, words and actions in the situation... I feel the power of peace helping me and others... I gently repeat the scene in my mind and begin to see how the power of my inner peace gets radiated to others around me through my thoughts, words and actions and then reflected back to me by them... With this feeling of total peace, I gently return back to my awareness of this physical body, of this room.

Practice the above meditation for about 10 minutes at least twice a day.  The best times are in the morning before the day starts and then once again in the night, before going to bed.

Message for the day

To tighten the loose screw of carelessness is to be powerful.

Expression: The one who is careless is not able to use the powers and the skills that he has. All the positive qualities within are wasted, because the one who is careless is not able to use them in the best possible way. But the one who is able to tighten the loose screw of carelessness is able to recognize and use the potentials that are within. So there is power visible in such a person.

Experience: When I am able to be free from carelessness, I am able to move forward with lightness and happiness.  There is no difficulty of any situations experienced and I do everything to the best of my ability without giving any excuses.  I am able to experience being powerful under all circumstances, as I am the master of the situation. 

Contemplation: Generosity

Contemplation: Generosity

Generosity
If I limit the love I give to just one or two, it will eventually go stale. If I learn to create altruistic love inside my heart and then silently send that love to many, love will grace every corner of my life.

Creativity

Creativity is to use inner resources for enrichment. Situations give us
a chance for us to use untapped resources creatively. Otherwise
situations take away our clear thinking, our perception of our
resources and so we become weaker and weaker. We first need to
understand that difficult situations are not obstacles but are
opportunities for us to creatively use all the resources for our own
enrichment. When I understand this, I will be able to first perceive
what I have and use that for progress.

Varied Concepts About The Supreme Being or God

Various questions related to the Supreme Being or God for the vast majority remain unanswered and therefore the experience of God remains unfulfilled. The concepts about God are as varied or different as are the sanskars of human beings.

Some common concepts about God:
* Some say God is everywhere.
* Some say He is nowhere.
* Some say He created the whole Universe out of nothing or out of Himself: others see that as illogical and impossible.
* Many say God is beyond the understanding of limited human intellects, others believe that they have understood Him and are then respected as self-realized or spiritually knowledgeable humans.
* Still others believe themselves to be God and allow themselves to be worshiped.
* Some say that God creates only what is good, and others say that He also creates evil or bad, and that everything that is happening in the world is just God's play.
* God is seen by some to be just an expression of human beings' needs and that they will soon go beyond needing such a figure-head (someone who is looked upto).
* Some say He makes the grass grow and the wind blow, others say He is merely the voice of the conscience - the inner voice.
* Others define God as the higher self who remains constantly at peace; this concept is called cosmic-consciousness, since the one with this characteristic is said to be at one with the whole universe.
(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Enhancing (Strengthening) Qualities With The Help Of Meditation (Part 1) 

The present lives of most people are filled with frequent phases of stress and anxiety.  The meditation which we are sharing with you in this set of messages will help you focus on the experience of the quality of inner peace and tranquility and combat this stress or unwanted noise of negative thought and visualization processes.  There is an important basic principle on which meditation is based - where our attention goes i.e. what we give our thought power and visualization power to, there the energy of the mind and intellect flows; and where energy flows, things grow.

If we give our thought power and visualization power to something positive or constructive or useful, there is a constructive use of the energy of the mind and intellect, there is a buildup of the positive energy of the mind and intellect and hence there is a feeling of empowerment (strengthening). If we give our thought power and visualization power to something negative, there is a wastage of the energy of mind and intellect and hence there is a feeling of disempowerment (weakening).

When applied to the virtue of peace, as we 'give' our mental or emotional attention to the topic or idea of peace, we feed it with the invisible energy of our mind or consciousness; as a result it grows from a thought into a deep feeling of peace and the final result is the experience of inner peace – not only do our thoughts and feelings become peaceful, but our words and actions are also filled with a peaceful vibration, which is not restricted to us but which others around us also experience and absorb.

Inner peace is not a state of timidity or submissiveness.  It is a state of inner power. Experiment with the thoughts we will mention tomorrow in our meditation. Using the meditation as an example, you could meditate on other qualities such as fearlessness, love, humility, happiness, tolerance, flexibility, or any other quality you would like to strengthen or enhance within yourself.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

Change comes with what is done than what is thought of.

Expression: Thinking about others' actions can give a headache.   Instead it is good to think about what is to be done. If someone is doing something wrong, instead of risking one's peace by raising complaints in the mind, it is good to do something to change the situation. When this is done, it creates good feelings for others.  These good feelings become like ointments that heal wounds and re-establish friendship and relationships.

Experience: When I am able to think about what is to be done in all circumstances, I can find myself progressing.  There will naturally be the understanding that there can be nothing that can be done to change the other person, so I am able to be happy and content under all circumstances.  Yet I am able to have the enthusiasm to make effort to change the situation. 

Contemplation: January 14, 2018: Happy Makar Sankranti :Think Big

Contemplation: January 14, 2018: Happy Makar Sankranti :Think Big

Happy Makar Sankranti

 

Think Big

Rise above little things. Be a big thinker. You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, dream big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, image big, love big, live big. Carry that list and you'll start feeling big. Be a believer and you'll be an achiever.

Creativity

True creativity is to bring newness at every act. Creativity doesn't
mean creating something new or just to do the same things again and
again in different ways. If we do that, since the seed did not change,
the result (the fruit) remains the same. So we need to understand and
creatively use all resources available to us. Whenever we seem to be
going round and round in circles, we need to check how creatively we are
using the resources that are available to us. We then need to make
extra effort to think of something that we have never tried before.

Reaching The Destination Of Peace On Time (cont.)

In yesterday's message, we had mentioned the main type of distractions that you might face in your journey to the destination of peace. The secret of not getting affected by each of these distractions is very simple - do not interact with any of them on a subtle level by giving them your mental energy of attention, but avoid them, detach yourself from them, just observe them and let them go, remaining completely focused on reaching your destination.

Imagine you are driving to your office on the highway and you are very late. There are a large number of different vehicles which you pass, either travelling in the same direction as you are or coming at you from the opposite side. You are even familiar with a lot of these people sitting inside these vehicles, because you see them every day, but you don't even spare a second to glance at them because if you did you would lose your focus and be delayed, you would fail to reach your destination, your office in this case, on time.

Meditation is exactly like this. Just as you cannot empty the highway full of vehicles, because you are in a hurry to reach office, you cannot empty the highway of your consciousness of all thoughts, emotions, beliefs, worries, opinions, desires, memories etc. some of which are even very familiar to you, just because you want to get to the destination of your inner peace.

Let all of these, like the vehicles, come and go, but all you have to do is avoid them and focus on reaching your destination on time. It's as if, by the way you are driving, your body language, in this case the subtle energy of your determined thought, word has spread through the highway of your consciousness that you will not be sparing a second to even glance at any one of these on your way.

If with a momentary loss of self-awareness, you do start giving attention to them, and you get lost in one of them, remind yourself subconsciously, "I am on my way back to the destination of peace, peace that I am." This will help you regain your focus and before you know it, you will realize you have arrived; you will experience your destination i.e. the peace within, and will completely believe that you are that. And it will be the most blissful experience that you have felt in a very long time.

Soul Sustenance

Important Understandings on Reincarnation (Part 3)

6. The world's population is increasing at such a rapid rate, indicating that the souls already here are taking rebirth and also that there are new ones coming down continuously from the soul world.

7. If one believed that one will receive the fruit of one's actions, if not in this birth, but in another one, a person would surely feel less inclined to perform negative actions.

8. Without reincarnation, it is impossible to explain how every soul has reached its present peaceless state. Thousands of sins have been performed by each soul in its past births under the influence of the five vices – lust, anger, greed, ego and attachment. Due to this, sanskars of those vices have accumulated over the soul. The burden of these sanskars weighs heavily on the soul and causes it unhappiness in the present. The present cycle of birth and rebirth is fast approaching its end. It is precisely at this time that the Supreme Soul can relieve us from this burden.

Message for the day

Cooperation brings easy success.

Expression: To work together is to allow the specialities of each and every individual to be contributed in the task to be done. There is an ability to appreciate others and their contribution. There is no ego of one's own specialities but a true and natural appreciation of everyone around. So there is success for the task and for the person too.

Experience: Whenever I am involved with others in doing something, the task is important in itself but when I understand the importance of cooperation I am able to recognise the specialities of each and every individual. I am able to have faith in the other person to make his own contribution and I give the space for him to do so. 

Contemplation: The Way

Contemplation: The Way

 

Lombard Street, San Francisco, the most crooked street in the world

The Way

If things are not turning out right, even when you feel you are doing all the right things, then just consider it to be the way to make you strong.

Habits

The more we work with a habit the more it will be strengthened. When
we hold on to old habits because of our rigidity, we will never be able
to change them but will only be strengthening them all the more. On
the other hand if we have the aim of adapting to the situation and
create a new pattern of behavior we will be able to give up unwanted
habits very easily.

Reaching The Destination Of Peace On Time

The objective of meditation has always been reaching the destination of inner peace. The process of meditation is like a journey to that destination, which many human souls have undertaken since thousands of years. After a life and in fact many lifetimes of indulging in habits of anger, fear, ego, sorrow, jealousy, hatred, greed etc. all of which blocked our access to this inner pure emotion and made us believe that these are normal emotions, believing completely that our true nature is peaceful, which is an experience opposite to all these; might seem difficult at first.

Only our own experience can lead to a change in our deeply held beliefs, which then makes it easy for us to incorporate peace as an integral part of our personality.

As you dive into you own consciousness, with the objective of searching for and reaching your subtle destination of inner peace, you will encounter some distractions in your journey. Some of the most important of such distractions include:

* thoughts in the form of negative memories of the past; over-thinking about the present scenes and day-to-day actions in your life; desires, worries and unnecessary thinking related to the future, waste thinking about the natures and actions of people whom we come into contact with the most, etc.

* the inner, subtle voices of the many incorrect beliefs, which we have picked up from people by whom we have been surrounded since we were small;

* thoughts and emotions related to deep habits of identifying with and getting attached to things we are not, like the physical body, material possessions, people, our role in society, money, places, opinions or viewpoints, hobbies or interests etc.

Soul Sustenance

Important Understandings on Reincarnation (Part 2) 

5. Each time a soul leaves an old body and takes a new birth, it carries its sanskars from the old birth into the new one. Other sanskars that can be present in the new body (apart from the ones from the previous birth) are: 

·                sanskars from parents

·                 

·                sanskars accumulated during the new birth e.g. from siblings (brothers or sisters) or from friends, also those picked up during education and more

·                 

·                sanskars of will power (the ability to bring about changes in the self using will power)

·                 

·                original sanskars of peace, love, purity, bliss, joy and power (the ones that were present in the soul when it first came down from the soul world into the physical world to play its part)

·                 

Out of these five types of sanskars, in each soul, the sanskars that are visible at different stages of life are varied e.g. in some soul, sanskars may be completely different from the ones the parents possess, because the sanskars from the previous birth are more visible; in another soul, sanskars of will power may be intense, the soul may have brought about a lot of transformation in its personality since the time it was born; in a third soul sanskars from parents and friends may be most visible; in another soul, practicing meditation, original sanskars may be more visible, etc.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

To remain in peace is to give support to those around.

Expression: If there is inner peace even when there is negativity all around, there is the ability to give support to those around. The biggest service that one can do is to give this support to those in need during challenging times. The one who remains in peace even in chaotic conditions becomes an example also.

Experience: When I am able to maintain my own inner state of calm under all circumstances, I am able to learn from everything that happens. I am able to bring benefit for those around me because of the vibrations of positivity that I am able to spread. I become a source of inspiration and support for all those in need. 

Contemplation: Good Wishes

Contemplation: Good Wishes

 

Tulip Fields, Amsterdam, Netherlands

By planting seeds of peace deep in the heart, you create a garden of good wishes.

Adjusting

Each day we face new situations - nothing remains the same. When we
learn to adapt we are happy, whatever the situation may be. If we don't
think too much we are able to experience the pleasure of adjusting
ourselves. Where we have a rigid nature, we will not be happy. When
things change demanding us to adapt and adjust, we need to make sure
that we enjoy that too. We need not ask what happened or why it
happened, but just enjoy the change which has something new to teach.

Negative Control And Positive Influence

The power of influence in relationships is extraordinary, but it practically disappears when we try to exercise control and force.

You can influence anyone positively in many ways:
* encouraging,
* sharing,
* listening,
* communicating in the right way.

In 'negative control' we generate stress, frustration and anger. In 'positive influence' the energy flows in a relaxed way with harmony and is not threatening, respecting each one for their specialty and allowing each one to be as they are.

In order to influence positively we need the power of discrimination and judgement in relation to what to say and what to do e.g. when you believe that the other person is the problem; generally the problem is not what others say or do, but rather how you perceive them.

The way that you judge is what creates your negative feelings about them. We have the choice to perceive others as a threat, as a problem, or as an opportunity; an opportunity for learning, for change, for dialogue and understanding. We can choose to have compassion (kindness); to feel that the other is a problem indicates a lack of compassion.

Soul Sustenance

Important Understandings on Reincarnation (Part 1) 

1. The soul has a separate identity from any of the bodies it adopts.

2. The human soul does not take a birth/body of any animal species, just as a lemon seed does not grow into a mango tree. The human soul always takes a human body e.g. if the soul of a cow was to take the birth of a human, wouldn’t it carrysanskars of performing all actions like a cow into its human birth – how would it then function through the human body.

3. The various lives or births of a soul are like different episodes of a television serial, all different, yet connected with each other.

4. The cycle of action and reaction is never-ending. The soul must continue to play its entire role until all it has received the fruits for all its actions. This may require more than one body.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

To finish excuses is to take up full responsibility.

Expression: To take up responsibility means to be ready to bear the consequences of the action done. The one who is responsible will never give excuses, but will be able to take the responsibility of correcting the situation. Under all circumstances, such a person will be able to give his best without situations hindering his output.

Experience: When I am responsible, it is not important for me why a mistake happened, but it is more important for me to find a method so that I am able to rectify what has gone wrong.  So when I am responsible I am neither worried nor concerned too much for whatever has happened.  On the other hand I am able work with lightness to improve the situation. 

Contemplation: Creative Life

Contemplation: Creative Life

Creative Life

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

Fulfilling  Responsibilities

While fulfilling our responsibilities we need not feel heavy but need
to be light within. This lightness will be reflected in our thoughts,
speech, actions and relationships which will be light too. We will then
be able to mould ourselves according to the situation. When we take up
any responsibility, we need to remind ourselves that we have taken on this
responsibility and we will fulfill it to the best of our ability. We
will do our best but will be prepared for whatever outcome it brings.
We can then be able to adapt to the variety of situations that life
brings.

The Step Of Donation In Silence

Donating is the final step of silence. We have filled the self with a particular quality and it starts flowing out of us. We allow this quality to touch the atmosphere around us and consciously donate this vibration to the world, enabling those in need to feel it and to absorb it.

This is the ultimate step of a true meditator, often referred to as the lighthouse stage. A lighthouse stands still and stable in one position in the rough sea and beams the light all around so that ships are shown the way. We are able to bring an original quality of the self into our consciousness, fill our self with it and then, very naturally, let it radiate from the mind.

One of the most important aspects in this step of silence is the link with the Supreme Energy. We make this link with the Supreme Source, we absorb from that Source, we fill the self from that Source and then donate all that the Source has given us.

This is called angelic or instrument consciousness. It is said that an angel is a human soul who has fallen so deeply in love with that Source of Light that it has transformed completely. It is totally filled with Light and Peace and its task is only to serve, to share Divine Love and Peace with others.

Soul Sustenance

Playing My Part as a Hero Actor (Part 3) 

In yesterday’s message we had discussed how some of us believe that our life script has been written by God and we do not play any role in the same. In this regard, it is very important to state that respecting, thanking and remembering God in good as well as bad times is obviously very very good and the right karma but submitting ourselves blindly to God’s will is an inactive response which prevents each of us from using our free will to make any choice at any moment and shape our future. 

While there is a master plan which is being played out on the stage of the world, a part of the plan is that we each have free will and an opportunity to decide our actions and responses. We need to realize that each one of us possesses an intellect, which absorbs the capacity to discriminate right from wrong, good from bad, from God and decides how to act on the world stage. 

In this regard, there are two aspects. The first aspect is – God writes my life script completely for me without me playing any role in the same. The other aspect is - I perform actions and create my responses, based on God’s knowledge of good and bad karmas which he has given me, so as to shape my destiny and write my life script accordingly. There is a fine difference between these two aspects, the second aspect being the correct one. This knowledge given to me by God is stored in my intellect; I am the master of it and can decide how to use it to play my part. 

Message for the day

To be strong is to be free from the influence of the body. 

Expression: To allow the body to influence the mind is to be doubly ill. The one who allows himself to be doubly ill is not able to deal with the illness of the body. On the other hand, the one who is powerful in the mind is able to maintain the inner strength in spite of the disease and so has the power to put in effort to finish it. 

Experience: Instead of being conscious of the disease of the body, all I need to do is to maintain the consciousness of being powerful internally. Then I would not be afraid of the disease of the body but will have the courage to deal with it. I am able to see the disease as something temporary and will soon find myself rid of the illness, as I am powerful within.